Assessment Policy

Indian River High

Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting Policy Guidelines

Procedure 1: Late or Missed Assignments (Regulations 4.13-4.16)

a. Students are expected to submit all assignments according to the date designated by the teacher. This includes the completion of tests and quizzes (see Procedure 2), and also the submission of assignments such as labs, essays, projects, portfolios, etc. The teacher will use Review 360 and PowerSchool as a monitoring system for students who repeatedly miss tests/quizzes.

b. If an assignment is not received by the deadline:

• • A zero will be assigned as a placeholder;

  • The student will inform the teacher of the reason for the late assignment.

  • The teacher will inform the parent/guardian that the assignment was not submitted (through PowerSchool, email, phone call, Google Classroom, etc.).

  • Just as an evaluation must occur whether a reason for a student’s absence is excused or not excused, there must be a determination whether the reason for missing an assessment is valid or invalid. Notification from a parent/guardian that a student will miss or has missed an assessment does not mean the reason for missing the assessment will be considered valid.

  • If the reason for a missed assignment is deemed valid, the teacher will inform the student and parent/guardian of the new deadline. Valid reasons for missing an assignment deadline include, but are not limited to: illness, medical appointment, injury, hospitalization, incarceration, school sponsored trip/activity, approved educational travel, or death in the immediate family. Documentation may be required to support valid reasons. Extenuating circumstances will be considered by administration on an individual basis.

  • If the reason for a missed assignment is deemed invalid, the teacher will inform the student and parent/guardian, and initiate a process of mark reduction. Invalid reasons for a late assignment include, but are not limited to: forgetting/ claiming to not being aware of the date of the assessment, refusal to write the assessment, unprepared for the assessment, failure to notify school of an absence, non-medical/urgent appointments (i.e. hair appointment) or providing documentation as requested.

Extenuating circumstances will be considered by administration on an individual basis.

• • If the mark reduction process is initiated, an assignment will be accepted up to three school days late as follows:

- Assignments late by 1 school day (passed in on the second day) will result in a 5% deduction to the final mark earned. The teacher will meet with the student to discuss the late assignment;

- Assignments late by 2 school days (passed in on the third day) will result in an additional 5% deduction to the final mark earned (to a maximum cumulative reduction of 10%). The teacher will make contact with the parent/guardian to discuss the late assignment;

- Assignments late by 3 school days (passed in on the fourth day) will result in an additional 10% deduction to the final mark earned (to a maximum cumulative reduction of 20%. The parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to meet with the teacher to determine a plan of action for the student to complete the assignment ;

- The maximum deduction for a late assignment shall be no more than 20% of the student’s final earned mark, and must not result in the student receiving a mark less than 50%;

- The teacher will contact the administrator and inform of the missing assignment. The administrator will make contact with the student and the parent/guardian and set a time to complete the assignment. Students not submitting assignments by this date will receive a zero.

• • A student with recurring incidences of late/missed assignments will be referred for an intervention plan. (Please see Appendix A)

Procedure 2: Late or Missed Assessments (Regulations 4.17-4.24)

a. Students are expected to write assessments (tests/quizzes) according to the date/time they are scheduled.

b. If a test/quiz is not written as scheduled:

• • A zero will be assigned as a placeholder;

  • The student will inform the teacher of the reason for not writing the assessment.

  • The teacher will inform the parent/guardian that the assessment was not written (through PowerSchool, email, phone call, Google Classroom, etc.).

  • If the reason for a missed assessment is deemed valid, the teacher will inform the student and parent/guardian of how and when the missed assessment will be completed. Valid reasons for missing an assessment include: illness, medical appointment, injury, hospitalization, incarceration, school sponsored trip/activity, approved educational travel, or death in the immediate family. Documentation may be required to support valid reasons. Extenuating circumstances will be considered by administration on an individual basis.

  • If the reason for a missed assessment is deemed invalid, the teacher will inform the student how and when the missed assessment will be completed, and a mark reduction will be applied. Invalid reasons for a missed assessment include: forgetting/claiming to not being aware of the date of the assessment, refusal to write the assessment, unprepared for the assessment, failure to notify school of an absence, non-medical/urgent appointments (i.e. hair appointment) or providing documentation as requested. Extenuating circumstances will be considered by administration on an individual basis.

  • With respect to missed assignments for invalid reasons, a mark deduction of 10% will be applied to the earned grade when missed assessments are completed.

  • Mark reduction on an assessment cannot result in the student receiving a mark less than 50%.

  • A student who refuses to complete an assessment will be referred for disciplinary action and may be given a zero.

  • A student with recurring incidences of missed assessments will be referred for an intervention plan.

Procedure 3: Second Chance Opportunities (Regulations 4.29-4.36)

• • Will be provided for only end of unit assessments. Teachers will use their discretion considering two key overall parameters:

i) Important curriculum outcomes linked to future learning, and

ii) Whether students are academically at risk of failure.

• • In each circumstance, students student may be required to complete prerequisites; including: completing assigned work, attending tutorials, correcting mistakes on previously assigned work, etc., as assigned by the teacher.

  • The assessment provided as a second chance opportunity can be an alternate version of the original assessment or a different type of assessment as determined by the teacher. Furthermore, the new assessment may address select key curriculum outcomes from a previous assessment or may be a full assessment based on the unit of study.

  • The date and time of the second chance opportunity will be determined by the teacher.

  • When second chance opportunities are permitted, any improvement will be reflected in a student’s overall achievement.

  • A review of a student’s program should be initiated if second chance opportunities are required in an ongoing basis in order to be successful.

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Appendix A

IRH School Wide Intervention Plan

1. Contact with the parents/guardians (Teacher, Guidance or Administrator Initiated). Types of contact include, but are not limited to: Phone call, email, Parent/Student portal of PowerSchool, Google Classroom, etc.

2. Teacher/Student Conference (Teacher Initiated). Determine any supports which may be required for future success. Discussion around academic priorities, goal setting, time management, work habits and study skills. A student contract could be used at a teacher’s discretion.

3. Tutoring (Teacher Initiated or Teacher Supervised, Peer Tutoring, Tutoring for Tuition, Tutoring Work Experience Program). To ensure equal access for students, exploration of tutoring within/outside of the instructional day is encouraged.

4. Course Rescue/Credit Recovery (Grades 10-12 only) (Teacher, Guidance or Administrator Initiated). A plan will be developed with the school staff, parents/guardians and student. The plan will address the individual needs/circumstances of the student and may include extension of deadlines, extra teaching support and supplemental assignments.

5. At-Risk Student Meeting (Teacher, Administrator or Guidance Initiated). The student’s academic achievement to date in all courses/programs is reviewed by the school team to determine next steps and if changes to the student’s program are required. Teachers, administration and guidance meet in teams (grade level, divisionally, department, etc.) to discuss all academically at-risk students and to develop appropriate student intervention plans.

6. Review of Program (Teacher, Administrator or Guidance Initiated). The student’s program is reviewed to determine appropriate placement. This may involve the initiation of the pre-referral/IEP process as well as a review of academic records and psycho-educational assessment results.

7. Students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) (School Team including Administration). If the student has an IEP, it will be determined if the current assessment is appropriate and whether an alternate assessment is required.

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Appendix B

Indian River High Vacation During School in Session Policy

Indian River High acknowledges that a family or individual students may choose to go on an “extended” vacation (one week or longer) during the school year, while regular classes are in session. Indian River High recognizes that regular attendance is necessary for success at school and that students who attend school on a regular basis generally achieve greater results. Accordingly, while we acknowledge the value of family time together, the faculty and administration would recommend that families and/or individual students who plan to take an extended vacation do so while school is not in session. The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District approves its school calendar before the end of June for the following year and this calendar should be consulted before planning an extended vacation.

Should a student of Indian River High be away from school for vacation while school is in session, the following policy applies:

1. Since each school in our province is responsible for knowing the whereabouts of their students while school is in session, it is the responsibility of the the student’s parent/guardian to inform the school of the dates that their child will be away from school on vacation. While a parent/guardian may wish to supply their own consent note, he/she is responsible for completing and signing the “Parent/Guardian Consent - Vacation During School in Session” form at least one week prior to the student departing for vacation.

2. Should a student be away on vacation and the “Parent/Guardian Consent - Vacation During School in Session” form has not been submitted to the school office, the student will be recorded as “Absent - Unexcused”.

3. When a student is away on “extended vacation” while the school is in session, the student will be marked as “Absent - Excused”, with a notation that the student has parent/guardian consent to be away from school with the appropriate “Parent/Guardian Consent - Vacation During School in Session” form being completed and submitted to the office.

4. Prior to the student’s departure, there is no requirement nor expectation that a teacher will provide the work which will be covered in a course during the student’s absence.

5. Upon return from vacation, there is no requirement nor expectation that the teacher will provide extra “catch up” instruction (ie. one-on-one tutoring instruction) to students, beyond regular course instruction. It is solely the student’s responsibility to catch up on material missed while school was in session..

Indian River High School

Parent/Guardian Consent - Vacation During School in Session

(To be completed and returned to the General Office of Indian River High at least one week prior to departure for vacation.)

I acknowledge that _________________________________ will be away from school on

(please print name of student)

vacation from ___________________________ to ______________________________

first school date to be missed date of return to school

while regular school instruction is in progress.

I have read, understand, and agree to comply with Indian River High’s Parent/Guardian Consent - Vacation During School in Session” policy.

Name of Parent/Guardian: ___________________________________________________

(please print name of parent/guardian)

Contact Telephone Number for Parent/Guardian: _________________________________

Contact Email Address for Parent/Guardian: ______________________________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian: _________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________________________________

*** For Office Use Only Below***

Received at Indian River High by: ________________________________________________

Name of IRH School Official

Date Received: _______________________________________________________________

A copy of this form will be placed in the student’s cumulative file.